The Strength that Time Provides
by SoreninParis
Summary: After her parents die and she is abandoned by her best friend Natsume, Mikan Yukihara leaves Tokyo and goes to live with her Jii-chan in America. What happens when she comes back to Japan five years later, looking like a completely different person? Will Natsume recognize that the beautiful new girl is the same sweet and kind friend he had lost years ago?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey y'all! Idk why I've been writing so much in the past couple days but I just started typing and this is what came out. Don't worry, it's MikanxNatsume.**

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Chapter 1.

"You're nothing to me," he sneered at the quivering brunette, his words piercing her heart. She trembled in fear, tears running down her pimpled, acne scarred face. _How could he say these awful things to her? Wasn't he her friend? Why Natsume? Why are you being so cruel?_ Mikan cried, her sobs shaking her entire body. She was crying so hard she began to hiccup uncontrollably. Her vision clouded as tears stained her black wide framed glasses. She couldn't do anything; she couldn't run away, scream something back at him, she couldn't even move. All she could do was stand and cry as her childhood best friend told her their entire relationship had been fake, _a lie. That it meant nothing to him._

"Pathetic girl," the boy taunted, his crimson eyes filled with hatred. Hatred _, for her._ He ran his fingers through his glossy raven black hair, causing a wave of sighs from the girls in the crowd. Yes, the crowd. They were standing in the middle school courtyard. During the spring days students liked to have lunch there. Her humiliation was for the entire school to witness.

"You tell her Natsume!" one girl yelled.

"Yeah! You disgusting leech! How long did you think you could hang on to Natsume, huh?", another one scoffed, smiling smugly as her friends chimed in in agreement.

"You make us sick!"

"Pie face!"

"Freak!"

"Go die ugly!"

Boos and jeers from the crowd were hurled at the poor girl, but she couldn't even hear them. It was all a roar in her head. The only words she heard were Natsume's. _I hate you._ _We were never friends. You're nothing to me. Pathetic girl._

Suddenly something hit her in the face, breaking her out of her trance. It was someone's lunch. People laughed at her fear. Others joined in. Soon everyone was throwing things at her. Half eaten fish sticks, rice, miso soup, anything they could get their hands on.

Natsume glared at Mikan, making her cower and flinch in fear. "Get out of my sight," his voice was cold and hostile, with no traces of the warmth she had always felt before. Mikan spun around, knowing this would be the last time, the last thing, the last words he would ever say to her.

And she ran, covered in food, amber eyes filled with hurt, confusion and betrayal. She fled down the hall, past laughing students, oblivious to her pain. Running into the bathroom, like the hundreds of times before, she grabbed the roll of spare paper towels hidden underneath the dispenser and locked herself into the handicapped stall.

But this time was different. Because the times before, when mean girls would try to tear her down with their horrible words, or physically harass and push her around, it was Natsume who came to her rescue. He would fire back insults right at them. He would threaten them and make them stop. He would grab Mikan by the hand and gently lead her out of harm's way. He would hand her his red handkerchief, ignoring her protests that she would get it dirty with her snot and tears. He would skip class and stay with her, sitting by her side, not saying much, but comforting her with his warm presence. And even though hours later, when she felt better, put a plug on her tears, and gave Natsume the same sweet, bright smile that brought one to his face, she would still go alone to the girl's bathroom on the second floor and cry after he was gone.

Because words hurt. And actions hurt too. And even though she had cried in the same stall with the same sadness as before, it was _never_ because of her best friend. And even though words hurt and actions hurt too, she was never truly broken. But now these same actions and words were coming from the person she trusted most in the world. Yes, even more than her parents, sometimes even more than herself. And all she could do was wonder why and what she did to cause her best friend to be this way; to act like a stranger- no, like an _enemy_.

So this time it was different. And she knew it would never be the same again.

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 **Poor Mikannnnn. I just want to give her a big hug and smack Natsume silly. But Natsume isn't _really_ that cruel, is he? If ya wanna know then follow and keep reading to find out more! ;) Also reviews would be really appreciated on your thoughts and suggestions on not just writing style but also plot. They keep me motivated and determined to work on my writing. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone!**

 **A/N: Sorry I've been gone for so long, things came up in my life that I needed time to deal with but it's fine now so I'm back :) I know this update is really short cause I wrote it months ago and didn't want to change it, but I'm working on a longer chapter I promise. Thanks for reading!**

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Chapter 2. (this first section in italics and normal font is Mikan's dream/unconsciousness)

 _Mikan?_

 _How's my Mikan been?_

 _Are you eating well darling?_

 _Did your swim meet go okay?_

 _Tell Natsume we said hi!_

 _Honey, we miss you so much!_

 _Soon we'll be back to visit you!_

 _Let's go swimming together when we do!_

 _Have you been using that face wash I sent you? It's all the rage in Paris these days._

 _Speaking of Paris, the company just finished our 100th stop! Isn't that amazing?_

Mikan's heart was filled with pride and fondness for her parents. She missed them dearly. They had been gone for three years, unable to visit due to their busy schedule of meetings, conferences, and presentations. They sent her pictures of them in the places they visited: New York, London, Milan, beautiful destination they promised they would take Mikan someday. Mikan couldn't wait to get older and work at the company so she would be able to travel to all these places. They mailed her gifts from each area they visited. Her room was filled with currency, stamps, and little jars of sand/dirt her parents would collect and bottle up. Mikan was always happier than usual for the rest of the week after receiving one of her parents' packages.

Mikan yearned to hear their voices everyday, but they called her every weekend. She would talk to them for hours about anything from her horrible teachers, to the stray dog she took care of, the delicious new ramen shop that had opened next door, which she promised she would take them to with her hard earned money from her job at the children's hospital. A huge part of their conversation was always dedicated to Natsume. Yuka and Izumi Yukihira had no idea their precious daughter was being bullied at school. How could they when she emanated nothing but joy when speaking about her best friend? They had movie marathons, went hiking, played video games, joined the swim team. They ate lunch together, walked each other home, and luckily were in the same class that year, which Mikan was grateful for, because she was pretty useless at academics but Natsume would always be there to help her. Wherever Mikan was, Natsume was, and vice versa. The bond between the two was strong, and others were angry at their defiance of the status quo.

Puberty had hit Mikan like a train, and all of a sudden her clear skin was red and swollen from hormonal acne. She developed eyesight problems from her love of gaming, buying her first pair of glasses at 9. Her curly brown hair was cropped into a extremely short bob to prevent it from getting in the way during swim practice. Mikan was never one obsessed with clothes or fashion. Her favorite outfit was her dad's high school hoody, and comfy joggers. In short, Mikan went through life never caring about her appearance, her parents had always said it was the inside that mattered. Natsume was the same, but puberty certainly did him well. He grew 6 inches, lost all his baby fat from swimming, and his voice finally deepened, no longer high pitched and squeaky. Not that he wasn't always attractive with his dark raven hair and deep crimson red eyes, but it was middle school and people were starting to notice these things, especially girls. The girls were vicious, they couldn't believe someone like Natsume could tolerate, much less than be friends with a girl like Mikan. They truly believed Mikan was hogging him, preventing him from spending time with them. It was their mission, no, duty, to drive Mikan back into her lane, where losers like her belonged. They would rid Natsume of the ugly witch who had put him under her spell.

Mikan never fought back. Many would say it was because she was weak, but Natsume would say it was because she was strong, and too kind for this world. No one knew of her parent's high status, which she could easily have used to get anyone expelled. Mikan was not underhanded nor malicious, and despised violence, never wanting anyone to get hurt on purpose. Putting up with their hate was okay for Mikan, because her friendship with Natsume was worth it. Natsume treasured their friendship as much as she did. And as much as he wished Mikan would fight back, and stop tolerating their hate, he would never push her into doing something she was against. So he would fight for her. A knight in shining armor huh? No. His one regret for the rest of his life would be failing to save her. What else can you do when you say you choose your own friends and tell other people to mind their own business, only to be laughed at like a two year old who didn't know any better? Or when you scream that your best friend is caring, funny, and real unlike everyone in the damn school, only to hear people call her ugly and pathetic. He felt like nothing he said did anything. He was frustrated and angry he couldn't do more for Mikan when all of it was his fault. Sometimes he was so enraged by their cruelty he wanted to punch them until they stopped. One time he gave in to the urge, resulting in getting suspended for a week. Mikan was furious when she found out he did it on her behalf. No matter how hard she begged, he would not promise to stop. She threatened to ignore him until he did, and for a whole two weeks, she did not speak to him or look at him once. He was slowing going insane without her, and in the end, promised to never use violence again. He told himself he would never stop fighting for her though, until that one day, when everything would change.

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 _Mikan, your parents are dead._

"Honey? Mikan-chan?" Mikan woke to a gentle voice and the smell of old cough drops. She was in the infirmary. Himemiya was here. Her principle. _Why was she here?_ Mikan wondered, "What's happening Himemiya-sama?"

Himemiya looked at Mikan with worry in her eyes. Mikan seemed to be suffering from shock and momentary memory loss. She placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulders, taking a few deep breaths before delivering the news that would crush the girl's heart all over again, "Mikan-chan. Your parents were traveling around the world right?"

"Yes! They're working with companies from different countries to give ours a wider outreach and establish relations," Mikan replied with enthusiasm.

Himemiya flinched when she heard the brunette's cheerful response. Her heart was breaking for the girl, "Mikan-chan, your parents were actually flying back home today to surprise you-"

"Wait! Really?!" her amber orbs widened in excitement as she ripped off her sheets, "Are they here? Oh my god I can't believe-"

"Mikan," Himemiya cut her off, "Your parents, they- their plane, something was wrong with their plane... and unfortunately it crashed."

"What?" Mikan whispered, her body froze as she dropped her sheets in shock.

Her lips quivered, "I'm sorry Mikan, they didn't make it."

"NO!" Mikan screamed, covering her ears, trying to block out her words. She couldn't breath. Her parents couldn't be dead. They promised they'd come back. They _were_ coming back. To visit her. _To visit her. Her parents were dead because they were coming to visit her._

 _It was all coming back now. The cruel twists of fate that day._ _Pathetic girl. We were never friends. Get out of my sight. Mikan Yukihara please come to the principle's office. I'm sorry Mikan. Mikan, your parents are dead._

She burrowed her face into Himemiya's chest as she sobbed her heart out for the second time that day. She sat there, emptying everything, until nothing was left in her heart. As her mind fell into a dreamlike state, for the first time in her life, Mikan wished she were dead.

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 **M** **ystic Pearl:** Sorry, I deleted it because I didn't have enough ideas to continue with it.

 **freespirited309:** Yes, there will definitely be a lot more background. I'll include more memories and information each chapter because I don't like laying things right out in the beginning since sometimes I'm not sure where I'm taking the story yet. I just read my first chapter and this one which I wrote months ago, very cringy. Working hard to improve on giving chapters more umph! Thanks for the follow!

 **Guest:** I'm sorry if I offended you with having Mikan wear glasses. I actually wear glasses since I'm blind af and I think I look bomb :) The purpose wasn't to establish her ugly, but to cover some of her facial features so it would be harder for people to tell who she was when she came back. My friends say I look so different when I take my glasses off and it takes a second to recognize me. Thanks for the honesty though!

 **IrritatingLove:** Thanks! Sorry for making you wait so long!

 **ScarlettChaser:** Yay! Glad you like it!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm thinking about doing maybe three to five chapters of Mikan in America before she goes back to Japan. Also, I'm sorry these chapters aren't that long, but I hope I'm being descriptive enough.**

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Chapter 3.

 **Mikan POV**

 **One Year Later**

I stepped out of the airport gate, bright yellow suitcase in tow. People rushed around, trying to find their families amidst all the chaos of the arrivals. Unlike them, there was no familiar face greeting me in this foreign land. Just a sign that Jii-chan said would read Mikan Sakura held by a boy with dark blue hair and a star tattoo. I scanned the crowd huddled in the waiting space. So far no sight of him. My chest began to tighten when I realized I knew absolutely no english so my only way of getting to Jiichan was finding this boy. I wish mom and dad were here, they'd know what to—

 _No. Don't think about them. Stop. They're gone. They've been gone. Twelve whole months in fact._

 _And it's all your fault._

 _No, it's not, don't blame yourself. No. NO. Stop. Stop it! Think about anything else. Anything._

 _What do I think about?_

 _What did I eat on the plane today? Rice. What's my favorite color? Yellow. What is—_

 _This isn't working!_

 _One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four— I can't breath._

 _Breath. Slowly. Breath. Yes, in... out... in... breath... I'm okay, I'm okay, calm down Mikan._

My breaths grew quicker, became rapid, shallow. I clutched my chest as I slowly knelt down. The pain was back. The stabbing pain. The feeling that someone was shoving a knife into my chest, it hurt so much.

The pain come in waves, stealing every single other sense in my body, invading my chest, invading my heart. Tears streamed down my face as I trembled on the floor. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to get up and run away, but I couldn't move. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me, devour me, end me.

 _stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP._

 _MIKAN, YOU'RE OKAY._

 _You're okay. It's a panic attack. Breath._

 _It's a panic attack. You're okay. I'm okay._

 _I'm fine. It'll be over soon. It'll be over in just another minute._

 _Just calm down. You're okay._

 _I'm okay._

 _You're fine._

 _I'm fine._

 _I'm fine._

 _I'm fine._

 _I'm at the airport. I'm right here. I'm okay. I'm okay._

 _I'm okay._

"Miss? Miss are you okay?" Someone was shaking me. In the near distant, more frantic voices came. I couldn't see who they were coming from. I could only make out blurry figures that slowly began to clear up. "Are you okay?" a blonde woman asked. I was covered in sweat as I slowly got up from the ground. There was a circle of people around me. I didn't know how to respond to anyone. I managed a weak smile as I pretended not to know english. I ignored them and grabbed my suitcase, hurrying away from them. I needed to find my driver _now_.

I kept walking down the line until I heard some yelling "Mikan Sakura!" from my left. I turned to see a giant sign with my name scrawled in funky rainbow letters. I said nothing as I walked over to it's owner. He kept yelling my name, not noticing me. I gently tapped him on his arm, my hand still slightly trembling. He finally looked over at me, "Oh hey! Are you Mikan Sakura?" I nodded, analyzing him. He had messy dark blue hair partly covered by a beanie, even though it was already nearing summer, and a cool star tattoo under his left eye, just like Jii-chan said. He couldn't have been older than a junior in high school. "Nice to meet you Mikan Sakura, my name's Tsubasa Andou," he greeted cheerfully.

My eyes widened in surprise, I was so shaken before that I didn't realize he was speaking Japanese to me, "You're Japanese?" I blurted out.

"Hai! My parents immigrated from Japan. That's partly why your Jii-chan hired me to be his aid, it's easier to communicate," Tsubasa explained.

"Oh…" I felt a little better knowing there were still Japanese people I could talk to here in America. Thankfully Tsubasa wasn't very observant. I was sure I looked disheveled from my earlier…. incident. _You can think about that later. Be okay for Tsubasa right now. Don't make him think you're crazy._

"Let's go home!" Tsubasa exclaimed as he took my suitcase.

I smiled weakly, "Mhmm! Let's go!" Home. My new home. Could home really be here?

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 **Mikan had a panic attack in this chapter and it lasted about five minutes. Most panic attacks are longer but the time skip of a year is because she went to a school/program that was designed for people struggling with loss. She's been trained on how to calm herself down quickly and I'll be inserting snippets of her time at the program throughout the story. Also, look forward to a makeover scene next chapter. I love makeovers in movies, shows, books, they're so much fun to read and write about! Thanks for reading :)**


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